Shopping and Styrofoam Cups

Fourth part planning includes more than the home calendar. The work schedule also plays an important role in fourth part achievement.

I've written before that a fourth part does not have to come at the end of the day (more often than not, it does because that's when everything is finished). A great fourth part can be had anytime of day ... Or even take up most of a day.

Soaking up sun at the beach, taking a mid-day nap when the sun is peaking through the window and the temp is that nice warmness or getting a spa day ( OK, I would not know what that is from experience but I will count a manicure and a pedicure at the same time during the middle of the day as a spa day for me) all are fourth parts done during the day. Not in the evening. Not late at night.

A favorite of mine is shopping with friends, having brunch and well, just laughing. Today, because I planned my work schedule to not have any in-person meetings and brought work home to knock out some reading and getting caught up, I got to shop, brunch and laugh with friends who also happen to be prospects .... so it counts as work.

That's a sweet fourth part. We talked benefits of being with my company while we looked at the most darling vests ( I am crazy for all the vests -- puffy ones, patched ones, plaid ones, tweed ones, long ones, fitted ones, loose ones, furry ones, suede ones, all kinds of colors ones. Obsessed much?). While we discussed how we treat every customer with significance, we found must-have leggings (Three for $30! Lined with fleece! Lined with fur! Prints! Solids!). And, when the conversation turned to services we offer, we made our way to the tunic shirts we needed for our leggings (Plaid, yes. Hoodies, yes. T-shirts, yes. Elbow patches, yes.).

Four hours of shopping for gifts for others (and for ourselves, mostly for ourselves) made for a lovely fourth part. Along with leggings, tunics and vests, we bought jewelry, soaps, lotions, soup mixes, ornaments, picture frames, kids' gifts and ... Styrofoam cups.

Not just ordinary, plain ol' white styrofoam cups. We found my favorite booth that I make a purchase from each year.. It's row after row, stack after stack of pre-printed, funny saying, holiday necessity styrofoam cups. and, I had none at home. None. I had nary a Baylor cup this football season. I didn't even have cups for our summer beach trip or Halloween. Woe.

I bought four sleeves ... Fiesta Roadie, Keep Calm and Gobble On, Top this Off (it's a Christmas tree on the cup. clever, right?) and Baylor. Aaahhhh, I can sleep ... no, I can drink a lovely cocktail, even coffee with a cup expressing a thought, a feeling or an allegiance.

It's a holiday miracle.

G thinks these are ridiculous. He tells me he can buy 100 cups for $2. I tell him $10 (or $12) for a sleeve of like 20 is a bargain. He says ... Get a Sharpie. As he drinks from his Yeti. don't even get me started!

With my sleeves of styrofoam joy, bags of purchases and my three friends (two,prospects and a banker) and their bags loaded up after our fourth part adventure, we drove home telling stories and just enjoying the afterglow of our time spent shopping.

We could have drank it all in from a styrofoam cup that read 'Fourth part and friends. No Sharpie needed.'